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Edith's Streets

This blog records notes about London (and Greater London) streets - what the buildings are, what the background is. These pages have been compiled over many years and from many sources - its not intended to copy from other people's work.Each post represents a square on the Ordnance Survey grid -and the vast majority of information is culled from map based source material - Ordnance Survey, A/Z, etc.

On some inner city squares only a quarter of each square is done because of the volume of material involved

Please add your comments and corrections - I am sure there are lots of mistakes - and my idea is to build up a correct record interactively

Red- it is (hopefully) there nowBlue - its interesting but its goneNo colour, same as the text - don't know. needs to be verified

Friday, 25 February 2011

Thames Tributary River Mole - Esher Common

Thames Tributary River Mole The Mole curls north east and then north west forming the boundary to the woods.

Post to the north West EndPost to the west FairmileEsher Common
A Site of Special Scientific Interest which includes heath, grassland, and scrub, woodland although heath land has been lost since grazing ceased. Many invertebrate species - over 2000 found of which many are rare. Scots pines were planted here in the 1830s and much timber has been felled since particularly in the Second World War. Black Pond. On the Kingston Zodiac this is said to be ‘on the dark twin’ of Gemini. It was a reservoir used as water supply for Claremont Gardens. Concrete changing huts for when they used to allow swimming. Pump House remains which housed a donkey operated pump on the north bank used to pump water to Claremont. The circular building was destroyed in the First World War. Horseshoe Clump. Clive of India diverted the Portsmouth Road as part of the designs for Claremont under Capability Brown. Horseshoe Clump Hill was cut through and the mound of earth from the excavations is the present Horseshoe Clump. It was known at the time as the “New Cut Hill”.

Rifle Butt remains on the north side of Horseshoe Clump
where Victorians learned to shoot. Thought they were abandoned after the First World War.

Winterdown Woods
On the Kingston Zodiac we are reminded that this is named for the dark twin on Gemini
The ledges – areas of high ground along the Mole where Neolithic flint implements have been found.

Portsmouth Road
The A3 Portsmouth Road is now by-passed for much of its old route. It came under a turn-pike trust by Act of Parliament in 1772. Upper Court. Built for William Brotherton, one of Wellington's Waterloo generals. It had been built in 1846 on Dog Kennel Field and was called "The Firs". Brotherton also bought 16 acres of ground as a setting for the mansion, as a wedding present for his son. It was known as Upper Court when David LLoyd George leased it house for about a year in 1921 for his secretary, Frances Stevenson, who he later married. It is a mid 19th Yellow brick house In Italianate style with a Central bellcote. Enlarged and changed in the 20th and 21st. The Homewood. This was the home in the 1920s of the Infanta Beatrice of Spain. Her s house was demolished and replaced by the current modernist house owned by the National Trust The Homewood. Was the 1930s dream of architect, Patrick Gwynne built on a 10-acre estate his parents owned and with their money. Gwynne, was 24, and wanted a house which was white, rectilinear, flat-roofed, in an Arcadian setting. At its heart is a living room with a sprung maple dance floor, fold-out bar, built-in music system, and windows overlooking the gardens. After the Second World War Gwynne ran his architectural practice from it and donated it to the National Trust in 1992. He died in 2003.
Winterdown – home of Locker Lamson MP who had a hut in the grounds where Einstein used to play his violin Mile stone south of Horseshoe Clump. This is for 15 miles from Hyde Park. A series of triangular-shaped milestones were placed along the length of the road in the late 18th